There Are Only Strangers In My World
by rurouni
Summary: Set in Kenshin's wandering days. An unorthodox Japanese girl is forced to run away from the only home she has known, and meets Kenshin on her way to Kyoto.
1. Finding A Life

**There Are Only Strangers In My World**  
A Rurouni Kenshin Fiction  
= Chapter One =  
~ Finding a Life ~

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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not, in any way, belong to me…

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Demure. Dainty. Dignified. Three words that would describe the first impressions one would have of a typical Japanese woman of that time. But she was different. When girls her age had long since learnt to quench their inner fires, leaving them smouldering, she still blazed forth with a strong flame. When girls her age had long since learnt to walk with minute, dainty steps, she still ran like the wind. When girls her age had long since learnt to keep their smiles ever so tiny, she laughed uproariously like a man.

Sakata Yumiko was definitely different. She lived with the Murashino family, but she was by no means part of them. She had been abandoned by her mother, a nameless, faceless figure in Yumiko's world, and the Murashino family had taken her in. Not as a daughter, or a maid, but somewhere in between the two. She had changed her destiny, thwarted expectations of her remaining a lowly maid, when, at six, she caught the eye of the youngest son, then seven, and in turn, attracted the attention of his mother.

She had been helping out with feeding the chickens. Then, she had done the unexpected. She had started herding them, so to speak. She was smiling and laughing, and was a picture of joy, a joy forgotten by most of the family members. Murashino Junichi clapped his hands in delight as he watched the chickens beat their wings in an effort to fly. His mother noticed this, and the event that had caused it. At first, her lips curled up in displeasure, but then unfolded into a slight smile. Maybe she was recalling her days as a peasant girl, lifted to a higher status when Murashino Taro fell for her when he was riding, high and mighty, on his horse. Her parents, naturally, had no objections to the marriage.

Murashino Matsuko called the little girl to her side. "What is your name, little girl?" she asked in a voice so gentle it made Yumiko feel at ease.

"Your humble servant is Sakata Yumiko." Sakata. The name of Matsuko's handmaid.

Matsuko asked, "Whose child are you?"

"Your humble servant regrets to inform you that she has no idea. She only knows that Sakata-sama took her in when she was abandoned as a baby."

Matsuko pressed her query further. "By Sakata-sama, you mean Sakata Yume?"

Yumiko answered in the affirmative, and Matsuko's eyebrows lifted, though Yumiko didn't catch this, having remained in a bowing position in deference to Matsuko's authority.

"Oka-san, I'm bored." Junichi's voice made his mother turn away from Yumiko to talk a little to him. After sending him away to play ball with his elder brothers, Matsuko took Yumiko into the house. The large house was somewhere Yumiko had never been permitted to enter. Now, with this privilege bestowed on her, she made the best of it, keeping her eyes wide open and noticing every detail, from the polished wooded fixtures, to the embroidered clan crest on the curtains in the doorway. She was taken to a small room, with a large tub. Matsuko's quick directions for her to remove her clothes were immediately complied with, and out of nowhere, it seemed, a handmaid appeared, to bathe the six-year-old. Apparently, Matsuko had also ordered that new clothes be provided for Yumiko, and she was dressed in the most beautiful outfit she had ever worn.

She was again led into another room, where she saw two other young girls. One was nine. The other was eleven. They both looked at her curiously, but turned back to playing their shamisens when Matsuko shot them a look. Matsuko let Yumiko stand there, unsure of what to do, for some time, before she bade her come forward and placed her small hands on an instrument similar to the ones the other girls' were playing. So it was, that Matsuko came to shower affections on the little Yumiko. Who, at the end of the day, still ran in the yard and returned to Sakata's quarters. You would think that all would be well for the abandoned baby, now that the mistress of the house had taken her under her wing. But it was not to be. But while it lasted, the good times were memorable.

"Yumiko-chan," Murashino Junichi called. Yumiko stood up from her crouch at the edge of the vegetable garden, where she had been weeding. Seventeen-year-old Junichi showed her his sword. He had been improving vastly at kendo, and had always come running outside after a sweaty practice, to talk to her. He knew she would be there.

"It is very nice, Murashino-sama." Despite her heightened status in the eyes of many, Yumiko never shed the respectful suffix that followed the names of the family members. Junichi, as always, scowled a little and rolled his eyes.

Then he said in a much quieter voice, "Oka-san was crying. Otou-san wants you to be married. To Fukuda Ken."

Yumiko looked at the ground. She knew it would be coming. And she knew why Murashino Matsuko was crying. To marry into the Fukuda family was like marrying into a family of whoremongers.

"So it's time, then." Many her age, of her status, had been married off already. The ones left behind were the ones destined for a life of slavery. Some had been lucky. Some had not. She was not. Yumiko forced herself to be strong. She met Junichi's eyes. And saw a fierce longing in them. So fierce that it scared her.

"You must go. Go away. Find some other place to stay." His voice was pleading, cajoling.

She looked back at him. Her wild spirit revealing itself in her eyes. The fire was still burning. A challenge. "But why?"

"Because…because…" Junichi was at a loss for words, "because I say so."

Lame. She knew it. He knew it.

She said, "I won't, then."

He was shocked. And nervous. And scared. For her. She knew it. She didn't want to admit it. He looked at her. She was making things difficult.

"Go, just go. I'll look for you, I'll come after you."

"Come after me? My goodness, what are you saying?" M

urashino Junichi glared at her. "Just go!" Yumiko knew the gravity of her situation. And she knew the consequences of running away. But she had to do it. Her eyes of steel looked right into Junichi's.

"Kyoto, a year from now. Promise me, then." He did.

She hoped he would keep it.

She left the next night, slipping off into the darkness in which she had come. Finding a new life. And hoping. And waiting.

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**Author's Note**: I hope you've liked what you've read…either way, click that button and tell me! Can't see any connection to Rurouni Kenshin yet? Well, it's on its way…count this as kinda like the prologue, then! This is my fourth RK fic, so do also go read the others! I really appreciate any comments and constructive criticisms that you can offer! There's always room for improvement, right?


	2. A Wanderer's Life

**There Are Only Strangers In My World**  
A Rurouni Kenshin Fiction  
= Chapter Two =  
~ A Wanderer's Life ~

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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not, in any way, belong to me…

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Author's Note: Here's the next chapter...hope you'll like it! Review please, and give me your comments.

Replies:  
darkangelwings: Thanks! Kenshin's here...Kamimura Kaoru: Sorry to disapppoint, but this story takes place when Kenshin himself was a rurouni...so no Kaoru...gomen! But I've written K/K fics as well...go check them out!

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"Who's there?" Her muscles tensed. She held a small dagger in her hand, a gift from Murashino Matsuko for her twelfth birthday. For self-defence purposes in a tumultuous era. She heard a rustling in the grass. Then a small figure emerged. He had red hair, and carried a sword.

"I mean you no harm. I am just a rurouni." A rurouni. With a sword. Who was this man? She never relaxed.

Then, he lunged. She, in a reflex action, threw her dagger at him. He had moved too fast, it missed this chest and hit his arm. His scabbard fell to the ground. But his sword had been thrust not at her, but at something, or someone, behind her. He clutched his left arm with his right hand, having thrown his sword. He looked at her. With friendliness in his eyes. She looked at him, then turned to check behind her. The thug who had tried to rob her once before lay unmoving, blood flowing from a non-fatal wound in his right shoulder. Actually, he had tried more than to rob her. Which explained why he had followed her. In any case, she was now in debt to the mysterious rurouni.

She helped to bandage his wound after they had retreated a fair distance away. Then, she noticed for the first time the huge scar on his left cheek. An X-shaped scar. Her fingers stopped. They held the edges of the bandage, but they had ceased to move.

"Battousai." Her voice was an almost inaudible whisper. He heard it. His jaw hardened. Then relaxed again. She regained her self-control and continued tying the bandage. A silence came up between them. He was first to speak.

"I was a hitokiri. Battousai, some called me. But I have sworn never to kill again. I sincerely apologise if I have done anything, past or present, to harm you."

Yumiko shook her head. "No, you have not killed my family, none that I know of."

She began to tell him, a complete stranger, about her life. A stranger. But she felt so comfortable talking to him. As if, maybe, he understood. But no one, hardly anyone, can understand so fully without having actually had the same experience. Little did she know that, to a certain extent, the Battousai's early days had been much like hers. When they had finished talking, it was darkness was gathering. The two fellow wanderers, each seeking a different life, travelled, with unspoken consent, to the nearest inn.


	3. Transformation

**There Are Only Strangers In My World**  
A Rurouni Kenshin Fiction  
= Chapter Three =  
~ Transformation ~

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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not, in any way, belong to me…

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He, a lone assassin, swept through the household, kKilling everyone in sight. Man, woman, child. Screaming. Endless screaming. But he didn't notice, or if he did, failed to care. _Giri. _A matter of honour.

A young man stepped out of the shadows, holding a katana, still sheathed. His eyes burnt with fury. His whole family, young and old, had just been mercilessly slaughtered. And he, in turn, had killed the assassin. But not before the assassin had revealed who had sent him. _Giri. _A matter of honour. In this case, revenge.

Murashino Junichi killed an assassin, and became one in his place. He never really knew why his family had been killed. If he did, he would have been saddened. At the betrayal of trust. At his father's misdeeds. His father had been dealing with the underworld. And two-timing certain key players. And when those key players found out that their business partner was shady, they did what they had to do.

Murashino Junichi lived by the sword. Nine months after Sakata Yumiko left the Murashino household, it had been turned upside down. And nine months after she left, Murashino Junichi was a changed man.

Word spread, and Yumiko got to know of Junichi's actions. First, she was saddened by the changed. Then she wondered how much had changed. Would he remember his promise? The man she was travelling with was Himura Kenshin. He had proved to be an utterly enjoyable companion, with deep insights and profound thinking. He was a man ahead of his time.

Transformation. From man to beast. It had taken hold of Kenshin before. He had fought and won. He was now no longer the Battousai, though many thought him to be. He was now, plain and simple, Kenshin.

But Murashino Junichi was still fighting. And seemed to be losing. She could only hope.

Murashino Junichi sheathed his katana after the last drops of blood had been expertly flicked off. The blade flashed in the moonlight as it slid into the sheath. Three men lay dead around him. In the whole room, he was the only one left standing. Someday. Certainly. Revenge. It was still incomplete. The person who had ordered the kill was still breathing. Still breathing when his family was not.

Murashino Junichi looked up at the sky after emerging from the killing ground. In a now rare moment of pointed reflection, he seemed to see the eyes of Sakata Yumiko looking down at him from above. Chiding him. He brushed the thoughts aside. Revenge.

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Author's Notes:  
First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed this fic! Thanks!

As you should have found out, this chapter is pretty dark, as it chronicles the transformation of a man into a beast, in this case, Murashino Junichi. When I re-read this chapter, there was this sadness that enveloped me, because when someone turns into something lower than an animal, no offence to the animals which I love very much, he loses all essence of humanity. Just some reflection, hope it didn't scare you away! :)

Replies:

darkangelwings: Thanks! I guess this chapter's short as well, sorry! Glad you're liking the story!  
Sunny: Hajimemashite! We haven't crossed paths yet! Really appreciate your review! Maybe you'd like to check out my other fics?  
Susan: Hello again! It's always nice to hear from you! I find writing about Kenshin's wandering days very fulfilling, because there's so much to expand on. You can bet on having more fics written on this topic! :)


	4. Night Amidst the Bamboo

**There Are Only Strangers In My World**  
A Rurouni Kenshin Fiction  
= Chapter Four =  
~ Night Amidst the Bamboo ~

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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not, in any way, belong to me…

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Night had fallen. For Murashino Junichi, it was time for another task, that would take him closer to his goal or revenge.

Night had fallen. For Himura Kenshin, it was time for rest. Rest, but with caution. An old enemy could turn up anytime.

Night had fallen. For Sakata Yumiko, it was time for sleep. Restless sleep. She had her troubles, too many, in fact.

There were two people there. One woman. One man. He carefully circled around them. But he was spotted. The redhead had his hand on this sword. Ready. He prepared to draw his. They waited. Neither wanted to fight. Kenshin kept a watchful yet non-aggressive stance. He would not fight unless someone else demanded it. Sakata Yumiko opened her eyes when she felt the expansion of the swordsmen's battle aura. She gasped. And gaped. For standing opposite her was the man himself. Murashino Junichi.

Murashino Junichi noted the rise of the woman. She had awakened. If she was trained in the martial arts, he would be at a disadvantage. He prepared to strike or flee. Then, he noticed her face. Sakata Yumiko.

Himura Kenshin was not oblivious to the going-on around him. But he was unaware of their meaning or significance. He was just ready to defend himself, and Yumiko.

"Murashino-sama, what brings you here?" Yumiko asked. A lame question. He looked at her. His eyes were hard; she had never seen them like that before.

"Sakata, leave. You have no business here."

"Neither have you."

He stared at her. And almost laughed. He had forgotten how headstrong, how obstinate she was. But he said, "Leave. Now."

His voice was cold, hard steel. Just like his katana. But she replied, "I have every right to be here. It's public domain after all. And, if I may ask, why are you wearing black and brandishing a sword? Am I holding you back from an appointment? If so, please feel free to carry on. A conversation with an old friend can be continued later."

Kenshin was aware of the strong undertones in Yumiko's answer. He remembered then what Yumiko had told him of her life. Of the family that had taken her in. Murashino Junichi gritted his teeth.

Himura Kenshin said, in a calm and even tone, "Murashino Junichi. You killed Tanazaki and Eichi. And I presume you're headed for Eikichi's residence?"

Junichi had had enough. He drew his sword. And lunged at Kenshin. Big mistake. If Kenshin had been the hitokiri he had been. But, in this case, Kenshin just neatly sidestepped. However, Junichi did not fail to see Yumiko's reaction. Her eyes were shot with pain. He dropped his sword. Against his mind's angry cry, he dropped his sword. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then gasped again as Murashinio Junichi ran away.

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Author's Notes:  
Sorry for the delay in updating, but hey, I've given you full warning (go read my profile!). Thanks for bearing with me ^____^ So, the two characters meet again. What do you think of the chapter?

Replies:  
SwordSkill: Is this what you've predicted? ^__^ *sigh* my storyline's pretty predictable, I guess. Will have to come up with a better plot next time! Something that I thought was pretty different was "Red On White", because hardly anyone writes about Soujiro as a wanderer, that is, none that I know of! ^___^  
fujifunmun: Yup, they meet again, but from the ending of this chapter, it's clear that Junichi isn't ready to see Yumiko. See you in the next chapter!  
Susan: *phew* someone who doesn't mind the dark chapter. I'm often caught writing sad or dark stories, ne? Nothing to do with my psychological health, I assure you! ^___^ I'm perfectly sane, and rational. *grin*  
darkangelwings: Gomen, it took a really long time for this chapter to come up! But hey, I'm managing more than one on-going story here on ! Hope you're still reading this! ^___^  
Akal-Saris: I'm never depressed by my own writing. They're NOT that sad, are they? I thought my fics were just reflective and thought-provoking, delving into darkness and angst at times. Well, I can't write comical stories, I guess. Maybe I should try one and freak you all out! ^___^

till next time!  
~rurouni


	5. The Splitting of Ways

**There Are Only Strangers In My World**  
A Rurouni Kenshin Fiction  
= Chapter Five =  
~ The Splitting of Ways ~

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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not, in any way, belong to me…

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"Himura-san, I have to go after him. Alone. Thank you for your help and hospitality. But I must go."

He nodded at her. He understood. Sakata Yumiko. Murashino Junichi. Both running in the dark of the night. One in a desperate flight. The other in an unrelenting chase. Himura Kenshin looked on until the figures disappeared into the camouflage of darkness, then gathered his things and walked. In the same direction. He also carried the sword left behind by the disappearing assassin.

He stopped. He was out of breath. Which, in itself, was a strange thing. Maybe the stresses on both mind and body had been too much. She was still running. Panting a little, but still running. And she saw him. Slumped against a tree.

She approached slowly. "Murashino-san, we need to talk."

He conceded, and sat down. She was as beautiful as before. Maybe more so, with the toils of the journey that had strengthened her. He was just as she remembered, despite the hardened set of his face.

"Are you still going to kill?"

His eyes were sad, then hardened again. "If it is what it takes. _Giri._ I have to do it."

When she spoke again, her voice was filled with a pain indescribable, "But you have killed many more than the number of your family. Isn't it enough? When will the killing stop?" If only Himura-san were here. Maybe a former hitokiri could talk more sense into him.

Murashino Junichi knew in his heart the sensibility of her words, but refused to yield. "I will do what I need to do."

Suddenly, a different voice joined in, "But do you really need to kill?" A shadowy figure emerged from the forest, katana held high above his head, making to strike Junichi.

"No!" Both Junichi and Yumiko chorused. As the sword came sweeping down.

In a flash, Murashino Junichi, assassin, saw his life flash before his eyes. Saw the things he would sorely miss. Saw the girl he had loved since time began scream. Her mouth open in a scream he never heard. He closed his eyes. Waiting for the death blow. A few short strands of hair fell into Murashino's lap.

Kenshin, the shadowy figure, said calmly, "You see the life that you have. The life that you would not have led if I had killed you. The life that you have taken from others like you. You saw, not the _giri _you had to fulfil, but what you love. Not hate, but love. Do you really need to kill?"

By then, Murashino Junichi was sobbing. He knew, in all certainty, that he had gone astray. Sakata Yumiko had tears in her eyes. She was so thankful. And she marvelled at the way Himura Kenshin had handled things. Truly, he was a changed man. Not the Battousai. Just Himura Kenshin. A peace-loving rurouni. Murashino Junichi cried. For the lives he has wasted, for his life that he had almost wasted entirely. He cried. The tears cleansing him like nothing else could. It took a wise man, one who had seen it all, been through it all, to tell him so. Himura Kenshin. Then he saw, in his blurred vision, the X-shaped scar. The man with the X-shaped scar. Battousai. So he had seen it all, and gone through it all. And he had come out better for it. So would he, he vowed. If not for his sake, then for the sake or Yumiko. If not for her sake, then for the sake of the reformed hitokiri who in turn, had passed on the sacred knowledge of healing to him. He would split from the violent ways that his family's death had born in him.

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Author's Note:  
Hope you liked this chapter! ^__^ Review, onegai?

Replies:  
fujifunmum: He got salvaged from the garbage dump, to Yumiko's relief! *grin* I'm glad you like Yumiko, though. She's another strong character.  
darkangelwings: Here's the next chapter (at last)! It's not _that_ short! ^__^  
Akal-Saris: Thanks for the suggestion - but it's just not, well, _me. _At least, not in this story. Myabe I'll try it in a future one. ^__^  
Susan: Thanks a lot for reading! The turning point for Junichi has been reached; what happens next? Can't tell you myself, you'll have to ask the characters - they make the story. *grin*  
DiaBLo: Thank you! To date, you've read nearly all of my stories, and it's a wonder you didn't get bored to death ^__^ thanks for reading!

~rurouni


	6. Transcending Time

**There Are Only Strangers In My World**  
A Rurouni Kenshin Fiction  
= Chapter Six / Epilogue =  
~ Transcending Time ~

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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not, in any way, belong to me…

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Yumiko and Junichi were married soon after, with Kenshin in attendance. They bade the rurouni farewell two days later, when he said he wanted to go off again. They bade him farewell, for they truly meant it. Both had been touched by the rurouni. Both had been helped.

In a last glance at the retreating figure, Yumiko's mind filled with all the times he had helped them. "Thank you, Himura-san! Do come and visit us!"

He turned around and waved.

Maybe, hopefully, he did know how much he had helped them. She wondered, as she watched his diminishing figure, how many more people he would touch, how many he had. Maybe, as many as he had once killed. But it was of no significance. Everyone had been a victim during the Bakamatsu. He was no different. But he sought to make a difference. That made him stand out.

Himura Kenshin, illegal sword hanging by his side, walked in the direction of the rising sun, and he smiled and recollected the picture of the happy couple, now married.

Not long afterward, he saw a hunched old woman with rags for clothes at the opposite side of the street. He smiled and walked toward her.

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Author's Notes:  
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for making this end so abruptly, with no warning signs. I felt that it was the best way, because I really didn't want to go into the romantics of how Junichi and Yumiko got together again. I thought I spoilt the story somewhat. Thoughts? Ideas? Flames? Do tell me what you think... *braces self for a lot of rotten veggies*

I just can't seem to do a long RK fic, ne? (This is the longest so far *sigh*) ^__^ But I think I'll pick this one up again in future, maybe with a sequel about Kenshin helping that old woman. Meanwhile, it's a lot of studying I'll be doing - don't expect too many updates. But I'll email you when I post another chapter!

Thanks for reviewing to Susan, DiaBLo, darkangelwings and fujifunmum!

till the next story...  
~rurouni


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